Private companies have their vested interest, more so if they are giving something for FREE!
Kindly read the policy of National Geographic's Genographic Project on DNA collection where they take stringent precautions to ensure that DNA material is not misused (posted below; otherwise also available on
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/ ). The kit that you bought and are recommending to others, firstly is from a private company and secondly, it does not address public concerns such as privacy, involvement of pharmaceutical companies due to their possible vested interest in the collected DNA samples, and many such issues. These concerns are adequately dealt with by the National Geographic's Genographic Project (NDGP). Moreover, the NDGP is for Non Profit, even indirectly. Whereas a Private Company, such as your's, can and usually are linked to money making pharmaceutical companies etc.
1. Is the Genographic Project bio-prospecting?
No. The Genographic Project research centers are to release the resulting genetic data (on an anonymous and aggregate basis) into the public domain to promote further research. The genetic data will be treated as discoveries, rather than inventions, and will not be patented. The scientific consortium comprised of the ten regional research centers will author scientific papers based on their analysis. At the time of publication, the data associated with the research will be made public. All findings will be released into the public domain. The Genographic Project is a nonprofit effort and its noncommercial focus is fully supported by all its partners.
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2. Is the Genographic Project linked to any medical research?
No. The samples will be analyzed for historical and anthropological data only.
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3. Are any pharmaceutical or insurance companies involved in the Genographic Project?
No.
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4. What are you going to do with my DNA sample?
We are going to test your sample to determine what migratory routes your deep ancestors (on either your mother's or father's side of the family) followed and to which branch of the human family tree you belong. The tests do not tell us anything about your health or about any health problems you or your family may have. Once we have conducted the DNA analysis, you will be able to access your personal genetic migratory profile by logging on to the Genographic Project's personal gateway Web page at
www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic and using your Genographic Project Participant ID number provided to you in your kit. Participation in the project is of course purely voluntary. By returning the sample, you are consenting to have your DNA sample tested to determine your migratory history. Unless you elect additional testing to be performed, your sample will be discarded at the conclusion of the project.
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5. How do you protect public participants' privacy and confidentiality?
Genographic Project public participant samples are assigned a randomly generated, nonsequential Genographic Project ID (GPID) number for processing and analysis. Public participants can access their results anonymously via the protected participant area of the Genographic Web site using his or her GPID. To help protect your privacy, the project does not associate any personally identifiable information about you with this randomly assigned password. Therefore, if you lose this password we cannot recover it for you or provide you with any other means of accessing the results of your participation. YOU MUST RETAIN THIS PASSWORD IN ORDER TO ACCESS YOUR GENETIC MIGRATORY PROFILE.
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6. How do you protect indigenous and traditional participants' data and ensure security, privacy, and confidentiality?
We have taken all reasonable steps to implement multiple security layers in the project. First, the project is based on the principle of anonymity—both for groups and individuals. We will not share the names of communities or individuals participating in the project unless they choose to do so. All samples from indigenous and traditional peoples will be coded by the regional centers and then recoded when the results are received. Only recoded data will be accessible in the central database. The link between the locally assigned code and an individual's name will be kept on file in the region, so that the central database cannot connect the two without local involvement. The alphanumeric codes were developed using an IBM algorithm to increase the level of security. The actual informed consent forms do include the names of the participants and are maintained at the regional center under lock and key. They are maintained separately from the actual coded samples in a secure location.
Second, the researchers use a customized field data collection application which is loaded on their IBM notebook computers. These notebooks are equipped with a customized biometric fingerprint security application that limits accessibility to the data on the notebook to the researcher or postdoc. This field-collection system consolidates the phenotypic data with the electronic output of sequencing the DNA samples into a single consolidated record and transmits these records via a virtual private network (VPN) to the master database at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Third, the consolidated data set and analytical results are located in one central location at National Geographic headquarters, the customized DNA Analysis Repository (DAR), a central database solution that manages electronic DNA data for the Genographic Project. The DAR leverages information management software to manage DNA data collected from Genographic Project investigators worldwide.
Overall, the project's infrastructure, policies, and procedures provide secure transmission, storage, and management of all the Genographic DNA data and records.
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7. What is your policy on confidentiality and privacy?
The results of the Genographic Project identify ancestral migration information only. They cannot be used to identify someone in criminal proceedings. The results of the Genographic Project Public Participation Kits can be accessed only by the respective participant or by someone else to whom the participant gives their randomly generated Genographic Project ID (GPID) number. No one can link a participant's name or other contact information to the sample that was provided to the Genographic Project unless they have the participant's GPID. To help protect the privacy of participants, the project does not associate any personally identifiable information about a participant with this randomly assigned password. As noted in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of our website, National Geographic may disclose participant information when doing so is required by law. However, because National Geographic does not retain a participant's randomly generated GPID number, National Geographic cannot associate a participant's results with contact information the participant may have provided when ordering, such as a name or shipping address.
If a participant chooses to request further genetic testing from National Geographic's partner, Family Tree DNA, for purposes other than the Genographic Project, the participant will use their GPID to permit Family Tree DNA to access the sample of cheek cells they provided. Family Tree DNA has committed to National Geographic that it will protect the confidentiality of every GPID and that it will safeguard and use the number only for purposes of the further testing that the participant has requested. National Geographic will discard public participant samples at the conclusion of the Genographic Project unless participants have voluntarily transferred their individual samples to Family Tree DNA for optional further testing.
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9. Will Genographic share my test results with others?
No. Genographic Project public participant samples are assigned a randomly generated, nonsequential Genographic Project ID (GPID) number for processing and analysis. Public participants can only access their results via the secure participant area of the Genographic Web site using his or her GPID number.